


Unexpected

by Donovanspen



Series: Whumptober 2019 [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Always together in the end, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Magnus Bane, Whumptober 2019, prompt: explosion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 19:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20879699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donovanspen/pseuds/Donovanspen
Summary: Blowing up the boat had never been part of the plan.





	Unexpected

Blowing up the boat had never been part of the plan. The mission was to secure the commercial fishing vessel and gather whatever intelligence they could. They were not expecting the boat to practically be overflowing with Forsaken and diehard Circle loyalists. Their team had suffered casualties, and Alec wasn’t willing to take any more risks. He gave the order to abandon ship.

He shimmied his way up the boom and settled into position, leaning his body against the metal frame with his legs wrapped around it and crossed at his ankles. He saw Jace on the deck below, giving him the all-clear signal that their team was in the water and heading to the support craft. Alec nodded and waved for him to join the team. Jace waited until Alec pulled the arrow from his quiver before nodding back and diving overboard.

Alec heard a crash from behind him and knew that the remaining Forsaken they had managed to lock below deck had broken free. He tried to shift to a better vantage point, but there wasn’t any support for him to perch in another position. He planned to send exploding arrows into the deck, setting a blaze that would burn the ship while still allowing him time to retreat as well. He had hoped to be able to do this before the Forsaken made it topside, but that was no longer an option.

He fired the first arrow into the deck and had already nocked a second one by the time the first one had hit, exploding and creating a small fire. He unleashed two more arrows.

The fire was containing most of the Forsaken, but some of them had pushed through and were crowding around the base of the boom. Satisfied the fire was spreading, Alec slipped his bow onto his shoulder and gripped the boom, preparing to get to the highest point so he could swing out and over into the water. It was then that he noticed the barrels marked ‘hazardous materials’ that had been knocked free, and how close they had rolled to the spreading flames. Alec hurried, knowing his time was significantly limited. He swung his feet down and kicked out, building up his momentum. He let go of the boom and tucked into a somersault, hoping he had enough room to clear the boat. The explosion hit him while he was in midair.

Everything hurt. As consciousness returned to him, Alec could feel the aches and pains in his body and wished to no longer be awake.

“Try not to move.”

“Not a problem,” Alec rasped, his throat burning. He tried to take a breath but ended up coughing, pain bursting like fire through his chest.

“Easy.”

He felt the cool touch of Magnus’s magic wash over him and some of the pain faded.

“Can you open your eyes for me?”

Alec didn’t want to answer for fear of triggering another coughing fit, and he certainly wasn’t about to try shaking his head.

“Come on, Darling. Try for me. I have the lights dimmed, and you don’t have to keep them open. I just need to see how you’re doing.”

For Magnus, he would try. And it hurt every bit as much as he’d expected it to, but it was worth it to see his husband’s face.

“There you are. You’ve had quite the adventure. I know it still hurts, but you’re going to be fine. You’re still healing, but you’ll be up and moving in no time,” Magnus assured him. “Do you remember what happened?”

Alec blinked, his eyes adjusting to being open. He noticed that he was in his old room at the Institute, so not well enough to go home, but not injured enough to be in the infirmary. He thought on Magnus’s question. His head hurt so much as he tried to concentrate, but the images started coming to him. His eyes widened and his breath hitched painfully as he remembered the explosion.

“Easy.” Magnus sent another cool brush of magic through him. “Yes, you got caught in the explosion, and were unconscious when you hit the water. Jace got you back to the support craft. You took in a lot of saltwater which is why your throat and chest hurt, and you sustained quite a few burns from the flames from the explosion. All in all, your body has been through a lot, but you’re healing nicely. I can only do so much at a time, but I promise you’ll start to feel better soon.”

Alec tried to give him a little smile, but it felt like so much effort. The pain was a steady throb and he was so afraid of another coughing spell that he was hesitant to try to speak at all.

“I do have something that will help with your throat,” Magnus said, as if he could read his mind.

Alec gave a long slow blink that he hoped Magnus would understand meant ‘yes’. His hopeful expression quickly turned into a glare when he saw Magnus holding up a plastic cup with a spouted lid.

“Oh, don’t be difficult,” Magnus chided. “Sitting up to drink would be painful at this point, and this is the most effective way of making sure you get the tonic at a pace you can manage.”

If it were anybody else, Alec would bear the pain rather than suffer the indignity of being fed through a child’s cup, but he knew Magnus would not put up with his stubbornness. He allowed his husband to press the spout between his lips, and he took a cautious sip, still worried about triggering a cough. A small amount of liquid trickled down his throat, soothing and tingling as it went.

“There you go, just a few more sips.” Magnus removed the cup and placed it on the nightstand. “Better?”

Alec realized Magnus was waiting for an answer. He took a breath and upon realizing it didn’t hurt so much, he tried to speak. “Yeah.” He was rewarded with a brilliant smile and a soft kiss to his lips.

“There’s a bit of a sleep agent in there as well. I couldn’t give it to you until you woke up on your own. It’ll help you rest as I continue to heal you. The next time you wake, the burns will be completely healed, and you should feel better.”

Alec mumbled a sleepy “kay,” already starting to drift off.

The next time Alec woke, he did feel better. His throat was still achy but nowhere near as bad as before. He felt stiff and sore but moving was tolerable. His eyes tracked around the darkened room as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position.

“Easy,” Magnus murmured.

Alec glanced over and could make out his shape in the bed next to him. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Magnus replied, sitting up as well. He waved his arm and the bedside lamp lit up.

They studied each other for a moment, Alec noting how tired Magnus looked. “Are you ok?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I didn’t overdo it, if that’s what you’re asking. Catarina came in and did a bit, and Jace drew an iratze to help your natural healing. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Alec replied. “Sore.”

“Hmm. The burns healed nicely. You’re still a bit pink and might feel some tingles, but that will fade over the next day. And your throat?”

“Still a bit sore.”

“More tonic?”

“If in a different cup,” Alec said with a slight glare.

“How about a trip to the bathroom and something to eat, maybe some soup first? It’s been a while since you’ve done either.”

“In a bit. Can we just lie here for a while?” Alec asked. This wasn’t the first time Magnus had healed him and taken care of him. They took care of each other, and while Alec knew everything was fine now, thoughts of the explosion and what could have happened were starting to creep in. And as always, Magnus seemed to know just what he needed.

“Of course, Darling.” He shifted back down and held his arms out for Alec to snuggle into them, resting his head upon his chest.

Magnus wasn’t wrong; he was hungry and needed to use the bathroom, but first, he needed to hear his husband’s heartbeat and know that he was safe.


End file.
